Stable and Clumped Isotope Investigation of the Early Cretaceous Terrestrial Paleoenvironment in Eastern Utah

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorSuarez, Marina
dc.contributor.authorPaige, Marquise R.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberGao, Yongli
dc.contributor.committeeMemberGodet, Alexis
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-12T19:31:21Z
dc.date.available2024-02-12T19:31:21Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.descriptionThis item is available only to currently enrolled UTSA students, faculty or staff. To download, navigate to Log In in the top right-hand corner of this screen, then select Log in with my UTSA ID.
dc.description.abstractLake basins are significantly more sensitive to climate and tectonic changes versus marine settings. This study focuses on a detailed isotope geochemical investigation of lacustrine deposits found in the Ruby Ranch Member of the Early Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation. The Early Cretaceous is characterized as a period of transitioning greenhouse climate. The objective of this study is to identify and quantify potential changes in paleoclimate reflected in the history of deposition of the "Lake Carpenter" through detailed petrographic, and stable and clumped isotope analyses of lacustrine carbonates. Additionally, chemostratigraphy is used to constrain the relative age of the Ruby Ranch Member immediately below the Lake Carpenter sequence. Primary and secondary calcite carbon and oxygen isotope values of lacustrine carbonates range from -9.2‰ to 5.4‰ and -9.3‰ to -0.3‰, respectively. Dolomite carbon and oxygen isotope values range from -1.7‰ to 1.8‰ and -4.2‰ to -0.9‰, respectively. Paleothermometer temperatures range from 13.0°C +/- 2.2 to 33.2°C +/- 7.5. Carbon and oxygen enrichment of primary lacustrine carbonates and paleothermometer temperatures exhibit episodes of dramatic cooling and warmth during the late Aptian -- early Albian. Ruby Ranch Member 13Corg values of rock samples below the Lake Carpenter sequence range between -28.5 to -23.7‰ and have an average of -26.3‰. The chemostratigraphic curve correlates with the C8--C9 negative carbon isotope excursion interval and the "Kilian" and "Jacob" events associated with enhanced presence of light carbon. Approximate age constraint of this Ruby Ranch Member section is between 116 -- 113 Ma.
dc.description.departmentGeosciences
dc.format.extent71 pages
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.isbn9781369776423
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12588/5016
dc.languageen
dc.subjectCarbonate
dc.subjectClumped Isotope
dc.subjectCretaceous
dc.subjectIsotope
dc.subjectLacustrine
dc.subjectPaleoenvironment
dc.subject.classificationGeology
dc.titleStable and Clumped Isotope Investigation of the Early Cretaceous Terrestrial Paleoenvironment in Eastern Utah
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.dcmiText
dcterms.accessRightspq_closed
thesis.degree.departmentGeosciences
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Texas at San Antonio
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
Paige_utsa_1283M_12229.pdf
Size:
14.97 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Electronic Theses and Dissertations - UTSA Access Only